Ethan gripped his sword tightly, then jumped forward fast, targeting the cluster of Viper monsters gathered in one place.
The sudden attack caught them off guard, but it gave him the advantage. The monsters were pushed back, taking damage along with a slow effect that made their movent sluggish.
He used the mont to swing his first skill toward the biggest group of Vipers nearby.
A crimson slash shot forward and exploded right among them, killing several monsters at once.
[Talent Quest:]
[Number of monsters killed: 7]
Out of the required twenty, Ethan had only killed seven so far. He felt calm. He was sure he could kill the rest before noon.
He kept attacking with precision, alternating between basic attacks and skills, always aiming at the Vipers surrounding him.
As ti passed, more and more Vipers dropped dead, their bodies scattered across the ground.
[Talent Quest:]
[Number of monsters killed: 16]
Ethan turned to the side. Four Vipers were left, their HP already cut in half.
Without using skills, he charged straight at them and swung his sword again and again. Sotis he stabbed, slashed, or cleaved their bodies apart. His basic attacks alone were enough to finish them off.
[Talent Quest:]
[Number of monsters killed: 20]
They move fast, and there are too many of them. Hard to keep my MP efficiency steady.
Ethan opened his profile page to check his HP and MP. He needed to manage his MP carefully, even though he still had so potions stored in his inventory.
[PROFILE:]
[Na: EthanArk]
[Class: Warrior]
[Level: 14 || EXP: 2390/2550]
[HP: 980/1150 || MP: 850/1200]
Hmm... around 850 MP left. That’s more than I expected, and it’s not even noon yet.
Aside from the profile, another system panel popped up, showing the EXP gain and loot from all the Vipers he had just slain.
[Congratulations! You killed monsters!]
[Na: Twin-Fang Viper (Lv. 12) || New Records]
[ 2500 EXP] [ 2000 Gold]
[Congratulations! You leveled up]
[Level 14 → Level 22]
[DING! Congratulations, you unlocked Guild Feature]
[DING! Congratulations, you unlocked Passive Skill Feature]
[DING! Congratulations, you unlocked Soul Servant Feature]
A lot of new features had opened after he leveled up from 14 to 22. At level 15, he unlocked the Guild and Passive Skill features, while the Soul Servant feature unlocked at level 20.
If I got 2500 EXP after killing 20 Vipers, that ans each one gave 125 EXP.
But why is it lower than the Blood Dire Wolf? Their level’s clearly higher.
While thinking about it, the ground suddenly shook hard beneath his feet. Ethan steadied himself by planting his sword into the ground, using it to keep balance.
The trees around him trembled, and birds flew away in panic. Then he saw it — a massive monster slithering into the clearing.
The giant Twin-Fang Viper roared, sending out a blast of wind strong enough to make Ethan shield his eyes.
Could it be... the boss monster?
Ethan didn’t hesitate. He charged forward, pulling his sword free and unleashing a crimson lightning slash.
The red lightning slash struck the Viper head-on, exploding upon impact and making the monster scream in pain.
[Blood Twin-Fang Viper (Lv. 15) || HP: 455/950]
The na above its head read "Blood Twin-Fang Viper." Its level was higher, its HP massive—yet that last attack had cut it nearly in half.
Blood... so boss monsters always have "Blood" in their nas.
That explains it. The Blood Dire Wolf was a boss too.
Forget that for now. I should focus on the one in front of .
The Viper countered, spitting a stream of green acid at him. Ethan dashed sideways, circling around as the acid splashed across the ground, lting grass and rocks.
He jumped behind the monster, thrusting his sword forward and activating his second skill. The powerful strike pierced through the Viper’s body.
[Blood Twin-Fang Viper (Lv. 15) || HP: 0/950]
[DING! Congratulations, you killed a monster!]
[Na: Blood Twin-Fang Viper (Lv. 15) || New Records]
[ 500 EXP] [ 250 Gold]
[Congratulations! You leveled up]
[Level 22 → Level 23]
[EXP: 5390/5550] [AP: 90]
Ethan grinned in satisfaction. The Viper boss lay lifeless among the corpses of its kind.
[You obtained dropped items:]
[1x Iron Viper Scales Boots (Rare)] [20x Viper Scales (Uncommon)] [1x Viper Egg Pet (Rare)]
He quickly equipped the boots, feeling his DEF stat rise.
His attention then went to the Viper Egg Pet. When he summoned it, he was surprised to see it was small enough to fit in his hand.
Hmm... normally pet eggs go into the pet and mount feature. Why doesn’t this one?
Since he didn’t know what to do with it yet, Ethan decided to store the egg in his inventory for now.
By then, the sun had reached its peak. Rays of light stread through the dense forest canopy above him.
He took a deep breath—when suddenly, voices ca from the distance.
"I heard there are viper monsters up here. It matches our quest."
Ethan’s expression hardened. He hid his sword and slipped behind a tree, curious which party was coming.
Three players entered the area, their eyes widening at the sight of the dead serpents scattered everywhere.
Unlike monsters below level 10, which respawned within minutes or hours, higher-level monsters only respawned after a full day cycle.
"This is insane! Who could’ve killed all of them? How strong is this player?"
Ethan stayed silent, still hidden behind the trees, watching the three—two won and one man.
"We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get the ten Viper Scales we need."
Viper Scales? So they ca here just for those?
Ethan checked his inventory—he already had twenty of them. Viper Scales could be used for crafting or enhancing equipnt, though from experience, he knew they weren’t that valuable.
He sighed and stepped out from the trees just far enough to be seen.
The trio turned around instantly, spotting a player with a PK flag walking toward them, unard.
"PK? Are you EthanArk?"
"Looks like the Red Notice about has spread to every southern city," Ethan said calmly.
"Did you kill all these monsters?" one of the won asked, wide-eyed.
Ethan t her gaze and nodded once. They froze in disbelief. None of them expected that one player could take down all those monsters without a single serious wound.
"That’s crazy! Just how strong are you?" the woman asked again.
"If you killed them all, then you must have so Viper Scales, right?" said her friend.
Ethan didn’t answer—he simply raised his right hand. Twenty glowing Viper Scales appeared, spinning slowly in the air above his palm.
The sight left them speechless.
"Would you sell them to us? We’ll pay a high price," said the man, who seed to be their leader.
"I don’t need gold," Ethan replied. "I need MP potions."
"How many do you need?" the woman asked.
"How many do you have?"
"Fifteen Level 1 MP Potions and ten Level 2s," she said.
Ethan nodded. He handed them all twenty Viper Scales, and in return, they gave him every MP potion they had.
A fair trade—he got supplies, and they could complete their quest.
He stored the potions in his inventory while they celebrated, their quest completion panel flashing before them.
"Be careful," Ethan said quietly. "There are still monsters and boss monsters up this hill. If you’re not careful, you’ll die."
Then he turned and walked deeper into the forest again, vanishing among the trees.
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